The man who pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of a 9-year-old Hanover girl in February this year, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The judge also ordered that 42-year-old Omar Green should serve 50 years and 7 months, before being eligible for parole for the murder and 43 years and 7 months for the rape of his stepdaughter Nikita Noel who was called “Jojo” of Kew District in Hanover.

The sentences are to run concurrently. The judge said the gravity and aggravating factors far outweigh the mitigating factors.

The sentence was handed down yesterday in the Hanover Circuit Court.

Green who pleaded guilty on July 11 apologized to Nikita’s family and especially her mother.

Green was charged in March following the discovery of the child’s body on February 1.

The crown had sought the death penalty but removed it as a sentencing option after Green pleaded guilty last month.

Police had reported that on February 1, 2023, Nikita‘s mother filed a missing person‘s report, after the girl did not return home from Esher Primary School.

Residents and the police launched a search and the child‘s body was found in bushes near her home.

Following investigations, Green who was the partner of the girl‘s mother, was arrested and charged.

A post-mortem report revealed that the child had been strangled.

Forensic evidence indicated that Green had also sexually assaulted her.